General Care for Transgender People Particularly in Adelaide, Australia

Alexi Case Study
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Introduction
Poverty can never be disentangled from the many inequalities that shape a society. The risk of experiencing poverty varies across regions and particularly Australia. Poverty as an economic disadvantage is linked to several other structural disparities in a community, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and nationality (Stanford, 2013). People experience poverty differently, and it's essential to understand how the difference in social positions and identities shape our lives. Alexi, 59-year-old, has just returned to Adelaide from Sydney, Australia. The community is characterized by a high rate of unemployment, poverty, and intergenerational disadvantages that affect the lives of those living there. The reason, Alexi, has recently returned to his hometown is to because her mother (Greta) is unwell a needs care. Greta is divorced and lived with Alexi until she was 16 when they clashed because of her new preferred gender. Even though he was born male, Alexi has transitioned and changed his sexuality and, as a result, clashed with Greta because of his new gender identity. Alexi worked in Sydney as a chef until recently when she came back to Adelaide. In her short stay at home, he has been hospitalized after a physical assault at a local pub and feels that the physical assault was a transphobic attack. Alexi already hates the area and feels unsafe. Even though he has physically recovered from the physical assault, she has trouble sleeping and is considering going back to Sydney. A recent visit to the doctor shows that she is suffering from anxiety and depression, and talking to someone might help her figure out something.
Intersectional lens
“Intersectionality theory is founded on the notion that various oppressions create and mutually constitute one another to sustain a complex matrix of power that is rooted in, and actively maintained by, social structures and institutional system” (Wesp, Malcoe, Elliott, & Poteat, 2019). Ideally, power cannot be reduced to one oppressive structure but functions as a transcendental entity circulating within a matrix of intersecting oppressions. The case of Alexis reiterates the importance of seeking justice and equality through an intersectional lens that prioritizes a multi-axis analysis. Structures of domination exist in Australia and have created categories of identities and differences marked as different by the dominant population or group. The categories of differences such as sexual orientation, gender, race, social class, and ability have become the result of everyday processes which regroup some people as “others” and build a differentiated power line between each group (Wesp, Malcoe, Elliott, & Poteat, 2019). More so, people are conditioned to act and operate in accordance with social laws, rules, and accepted practices. Like their operations, their harmful behaviours, such as transphobia, cannot be traced to a specific cause or contributor. As seen in Alexi’s case, everyday practices by individuals and institutions intertwine to reproduce oppression and inequalities.
Identity Category

Description

Form of Oppression

Sexual orientation

* Transgender person

* Transphobia

Gender

* Struggling with new roles assigned to each sex by the society

* Gender oppression

Socioeconomic status

* Poor society

* Classism

Parent or childless

* She lives with her mother, who does not support her sexuality.
* She feels the pressure of caring for her mother and hates that there is no one else.

* Alexi feels the burden of care

Age

* Alexi is 59 years old, and her mother is most likely 70 years plus.

* Ageism

Looking at Alexi’s case through an intersectional lens offers us a better strategy to make sense of the multiple intersecting issues. Ideally, many things, including poverty, age, sexuality, intertwine to shape vulnerabilities to diseases and oppression. Alexi, who recently came over to check on her unwell mother, is not battling anxiety and depression. Several factors within the inner circle, such as geography and environment, livelihood activities, and housing, influence the risk of getting sick and the ability to seek or utilize preventive healthcare interventions. Alexis' moth...